HEREFORD Garden Centre on Kings Acre Road, Hereford, held a blooming great tea party raising £370 for Marie Curie, taking the total raised to date to £1,540.

The tea party included a cake stall, visit from the Hereford owl rescue centre, an especially large Marie Curie tea pot made by The Pedlars Tray franchise and activities for children - special scarecrows and colouring-in bunting.

All the money raised from the tea party will help Marie Curie Nurses to provide more free care to people with terminal illnesses in their own homes meaning they can continue to enjoy and benefit from their garden.

Jenny Parkin at Hereford Garden Centre said: "We're so pleased our blooming great tea party raised such a wonderful amount for Marie Curie. It was a fantastic event and we're happy that sharing a cuppa with locals will fund free care from Marie Curie Nurses to terminally ill people."

Helen Corbett, community fundraiser at Marie Curie said: "A massive thank you to Hereford Garden Centre for holding this tea party and to all those who came along and donated to Marie Curie. The money raised will allow Marie Curie Nurses to continue to provide more free care to people with terminal illnesses in their own homes. It is so important for people to be able to spend their final days in their place of choice, and for most people this means at home surrounded by the people and things they care about most. Marie Curie relies on the generous support of the local community to ensure more terminally ill people can receive this care at the time when they need it most."

This tea party was one of many others that took place across the country from June 20-29 as part of Marie Curie's blooming great tea party campaign.

For more information call 0845 052 4184 or visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/teaparty.

Hereford Garden Centre supported Marie Curie's blooming great tea party as part of a two year partnership with the charity. The Garden Centre Group has chosen Marie Curie as their first national charity partner and is aiming to raise over £500,000 nationally, through gardening-inspired activities, which will help Marie Curie provide care to people with terminal illnesses in their own homes.